Special offer for the coming 14 days only: book your day tour to Petra from Eilat for 219$ only!!!

Due to recent changes at the border we’d like to point out the following;

1) Visitors to Jordan for less than 2 nights now pay an additional $60 in visa fees, as a result we are currently advising our 1.5 and 2 day tour guests to add an additional night to their stay in Aqaba before the tour. The advantage of staying 2 nights include a free visa to Jordan, better hotel rates than in Eilat, reduced entrance fees to Petra and a comfortable transfer service included in the booking cost. All in all, this option offers the best value for money and saves about $120 on the visa and entrance fees to Petra.

2) People who wish to travel for a one day tour should consider the option of staying overnight in Petra (1.5 day tour below) and benefiting from the reduced Petra entrance fees for overnight visitors ($60 less). This option also gives visitors the opportunity to spend several more hours inside Petra exploring the site at their leisure.

Another option is spending the night before the 1 day tour in Aqaba, this means reduced entrance fees at Petra, better hotel rates than in Eilat and a more comfortable morning pick-up time at the start of the tour.

Special offers for flights to Eilat and back starting from 80$ p.p. per way. Tickets are changeable and refundable.

Visa info into Jordan

We arrange Jordan visas in advance on behalf of our clients and guests collect them at the border on the day of their trip. The visa costs $60 for visitors to Petra and there is a further $65 charge for border taxes and tips, so the total border fee on the day is $125, or $131 if paying by credit card.

Just one night in Jordan reduces the Petra Entrance fee by $60 and people staying two nights also get the $60 visa for free, that's a $120 saving per person. So for most people it's worth staying a night or two and taking in more of the sights. Of course visas can be arranged in advance but it's cheaper and more convenient to simply do it through us.

Clients of the 1 day Petra tour:

We encourage visitors to Petra to spend the night before their tour in Aqaba. Spending one night in Jordan reduces the Petra Entrance significantly. The hotels in Aqaba are more comfortably priced than those in Eilat and the later morning pickup times mean guests can enjoy breakfast in their hotel on the day of the tour.

Clients of the 2 day tour:
We encourage visitors to Petra to spend an additional night in Aqaba before their tour. Apart from the savings at Petra, people staying two nights also get the $60 visa for free. On top of that hotels in Aqaba are cheaper than those in Eilat and the later morning pickup times mean guests get to enjoy breakfast in their hotel before the tour begins.

Why travel with us?

Desert Eco Tours remains the leading company to Petra from Israel. With published endorsements from The New York Times, The Lonely Planet and The Cultured Traveler as well as receiving the Tripadvisor certificate of excellence every year.

Booking with Desert Eco Tours means a slightly earlier start for getting through the border before the delays begin. We are usually well on our way to Petra while the latest wave of internet tour operators are still waiting for their late-comers to show up, since most of them are booked on the same tour-bus long delays are not uncommon. This gives us more time exploring the sights of Petra lead by our specialist tour guides.

We keep our tour groups small and travel to Petra in comfortable mini-busses supplied by Jordan's leading bus company, during busier periods we occasionally book a larger vehicle and split the group into two at Petra with an additional guide to guarantee the tour quality.

Where to cross from Israel to Jordan?

The most convenient start point for tours in Jordan is the Border at Eilat, all the other border crossings have major downsides which massively impact tour quality. The Sheikh Hussein Crossing in the north means taking a slow winding route on the Jordanian side that adds many hours to the drive time just to get to the tour areas. It leaves significantly less time for touring and is not an option for one day tours. Another border, The Allenby Bridge, is rarely used by tourists but is popular with local Palestinians so the waiting times are incredibly long and it often takes several hours just to cross, obviously that too is not an option for one-day tours. No matter where in Israel you are, getting to Eilat is straightforward either by car, public transport or by flight. The border crossing is tourist friendly and by far the closest to Wadi Rum and Petra
.

Petra from Israel- The One Day tour from Eilat

The one-day tour leaves early morning and covers many of the main sites in Petra, we pack in as much as we can and do our best to avoid delays but it still isn't possible to cover everything in a day. To visit The Monastery, High Place or Wadi Rum you should consider an overnight, or a two-day trip, if you have time limitations then a private one-day tour would be best.

Until recently the Petra day-trip was the most popular tour but steep increases in the admission and border fees directed at one-day visitors changed all that. Now most of our guests opt for an overnight tour with an increasing number choosing two nights. The benefits of staying an extra night are quite significant. Apart from saving $60 on the Petra admission fee, you get to spend more time touring the sights of Petra independently, visiting if you wish the famous Monastery among other attractions. Or if you prefer, you can arrive the day before the tour to an Aqaba hotel and enjoy the Red Sea beaches and scenery, this also means a more comfortable morning pick- up time for Petra because you have already crossed the border. These overnight options have one day of touring and one night accommodation with transport to and from the hotel included.

Petra Two- Day Trips

Choosing the Petra Two-Day trip gives you the second day free to explore even more of the ruins and scenery before we take you back by evening to Eilat. This is a great option for those particularly interested in Petra itself. For an additional fee you can add a guide for the second day although most people are happy to roam the site independently after being with a guide the day before. There is also the option of visiting Jabal Haroun by jeep (Mount Aaron) at a supplement.

Petra +Wadi Rum

After a full day exploring Petra, the night is spent at a nearby hotel or Bedouin camp. The desert tour is by 4x4 and takes in the famous sights of Wadi Rum. There is a 1.5 and a 2 day option for this trip and both are very popular.

The two day Petra + Wadi Rum tour spends a full day in Wadi Rum and is easily the best short-tour in Jordan, it is always a huge hit with our guests. After a full day in Petra and night at a local hotel or camp we spend a whole eight hours touring the highlights of Wadi Rum in a 4x4 vehicles with an experienced English speaking Bedouin guide. We get into the depths of the Rum and experience the fabulous scenery and the desert way of life. The ancient vehicles commonly used by other operators spend just four hours in Wadi Rum with local teens at the wheel and despite their claims, are not 'the same' as our tours by any stretch of the imagination.

Please be advised that the issue of the animal handlers in Petra is entirely out of our hands and therefore we cannot accept any responsibility for the services they provide. Unfortunately, based on a lot of experience, we must advise you to avoid using them if you possibly can. We hope that very soon we will be able to update this page without these negative points but for now, we cannot stress strongly enough our stance against using any animal transportation services in Petra.

Hotels and transport

It's easy to add an extra night or two in Jordan before or after the tour and we provide the transport for free. One night in Jordan saves $60 at Petra, two nights saves a total of $120 per person on visa and entrance fees, considering that the hotel rates are cheaper than in Eilat it's the most budget friendly option for visitors. We have a wide selection of hotels in Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba (the resort facing Eilat on the Red Sea coast) and our operators will gladly help you decide which choice is best for you.